EPA's fifth annual Science Forum on May 16-18 in Washington, D.C., will focus on the relationship between the environment and public health. Why are some people more susceptible to the effects of environmental contaminants than others? How does the environment play a role in disease and how can early childhood environmental exposures lead to health problems in adulthood?

"We know that environmental contaminants have different effects on people, due to inherited traits, lifestyle and behavior. However, there is much more we need to know about the exact interactions between a person's genetic makeup, the environment and disease," said Dr. George Gray, EPA's assistant administrator for the Office of Research and Development. "Through recent breakthroughs in genomics, the study of human genetic structure, scientists are starting to pinpoint the exact links between the environment and human health and disease."

This year's forum brings together three other federal agencies responsible for public health: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; and, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

A keynote address on "Secrets of the Human Genome" by J. Craig Venter, a leading human genomic researcher and head of the J. Craig Venter Institute, will focus on current efforts in advancing the science of genomics and in applying genomic advances to some of the world's most vexing public health and environmental challenges. A day will be devoted to each of three subjects: Disease susceptibility and the Environment, Global Challenges, and the Built Environment.

The 2006 Science Forum will be held in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. (Federal Triangle Metro Stop).

Sessions will run from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 on Wednesday, and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday. Registration is required, but there is no admission charge.